Long-term results of Charnley arthroplasty. A 12-16-year follow-up study

A retrospective, long-term study was initiated to analyze clinical function, failures, and radiographic status in 95 Charnley low-friction arthroplasties performed during 1973-1977. Only patients with primary osteoarthrosis were included, and no patients were lost during the follow-up period. At the follow-up evaluation, 39 patients (41 hips) were deceased. Ten hips were revised (including 3 of the deceased patients), leaving 47 hips available for follow-up evaluation. Four patients (5 hips) were interviewed by telephone, and the remaining 42 hips were examined by the authors. With a mean follow-up period of 14 years, many of the patients had excellent pain relief with a mean Harris hip score for pain of 42 points (maximum, 44 points). Ninety-four percent of the patients were satisfied with their results. The survivorship for all 95 hips was 92% at 10 years and 83% at 16 years. Follow-up radiographs revealed that three (7%) of the femoral components were definitively loose, but only two (5%) of the acetabular components were probably loose. Forty-three percent of the hips had signs of polyethylene wear of the cup. The clinical and radiographic outcome is, in spite of an early cementing technique, very good in this long-term follow-up study.